


Withered Flowers Blossom (changing day after day)

by kopycat_101



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Aika is an anime-original character but she's valid, Also looking more into the backstory of the Konishi family itself, But that won't be explored until later, Childhood Friends, Developing Friendships, F/F, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up, If no one's going to write about the Konishi sibs then I guess I'll do it, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Protective Siblings, Saki and Naoki are good siblings!! And they care about each other!!, Saki and Naoki are wlw/mlm solidarity, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Small Towns, The Original Female Character tagged is NOT Aika, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21869551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: Growing up in a small town like Inaba shouldn’t be complicated. And for a time, it isn’t.But some things can’t last forever. Things change. People change.If Saki and Naoki stick together, though, things should be fine.(Or: If no one else will write a damn fic about them and give the Konishi sibs the backstory and characterization they deserve, I guess I’ll do it myself.)A P4, pre-canon fic.
Relationships: Konishi Naoki & Konishi Saki, Konishi Naoki & Nakamura Aika, Konishi Naoki & Tatsumi Kanji, Konishi Saki & Nakamura Aika, Konishi Saki & Original Character(s), Konishi Saki & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Withered Flowers Blossom (changing day after day)

**Author's Note:**

> I remembered the Konishi sibs and the tragedy that befalls them and got Very Sad. Then I got Even Sadder when I realized that any fics starring them are just about non-existent. This is my attempt to fix that.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Genesis

* * *

With Inaba as small as it is, everyone knows one another. This can either be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at things.

For the earlier years, this is a blessing to the Konishi family. They have a wonderful community and a steady support structure. Their children are raised in peace in quiet, surrounded by good people. There is no shortage of playmates for their son and daughter from the children that also live in the Shopping District.

The only downside, one might suppose, is the fact that the Konishi own and run a liquor store, which is not something that’s exactly safe for children. But from a young age, little Saki and Naoki are taught to be careful of the items in the store, to not break things, and never take any of the bottles to drink until they’re old enough.

(A bit of a nip of alcohol to get them drowsy or help with any mouth-related injuries doesn’t hurt anyone, so long as no one knows.

They’re not letting their kids become _alcoholics_ , of course— that would be incredibly irresponsible and ridiculous! But running a liquor store, you’ve got to have at least a passing familiarity to alcohol.)

Alcohol is a dangerous substance when abused. Saki and Naoki are given lessens over the affects of alcohol and what it can turn people into.

One doesn’t have to look any further than some of the more…questionable…clientele of the store. The people that spend a little too much of their paychecks on Konishi-branded bottles— or just have little regard for what they spend at all. The children are, of course, hidden behind their parents or the counter or the shelves so they won’t be fully exposed, but they’ll _know_.

Do not become a drunk like Ito-san. Do not drown your sorrows away like Himawari-san. Do not become a dead-beat like Kitaro-san. Do not spend as much money as Uketo-san.

After lessons are had, Saki and Naoki are shooed outside, away from the dangerous and precious merchandise inside Konishi Liquors. The Shopping District is lively, but Inaba is small and safe, and their neighbors are not far away. It’s also easy to arrange playdates, insomuch as their children can go visit someone, or someone else’s children can peak their heads inside the store to call for Naoki and Saki to come outside.

It’s easy, and thankfully, uncomplicated.

(It doesn’t stay like this for long, of course. The town slowly gets a bit more downtrodden as even the historic Amagi Inn cannot keep generating the economy on just its back alone. Their children grow up as corners have to be cut, and the Konishis must carefully crunch numbers.

It doesn’t stay this simple forever, but that is a story for another day.)

* * *

Saki Konishi grows up with a little brother she loves to have and loves to tease. Naoki is easy to rile up, too. (He always has, always will, and it’s always been adorable.)

Naoki never really leaves her side, though, when they’re growing up. He follows her around like a little duckling, even when he was just a baby that only knew how to crawl.

Saki doesn’t remember the day she became a big sister, but she remembers how her parents always tell her to be a good big sister and protect her baby brother. So, she takes that to heart, and that’s what she does.

When Naoki isn’t following her around with a constant slew of babbling “ _Sis, Sis, Sis_ ”, Saki’s quick to look for him and hurry after him to make sure he doesn’t get himself into any trouble. She’s got to be res-pons-ible and vi-gi-lant at all times, because alcohol is _dangerous_ and if Naoki ends up dropping any of the bottles in the store it’ll be a _disaster_.

Sometimes, though, Saki just doesn’t want to be stuck playing with her baby brother. There’s only so many times she can play baby games with him before she gets bored, and she’s two whole years older than him. That’s _forever_ , okay.

(And she never lets him forget it, either. She’s two years old and wiser than him, so he has to listen to her, because she’s his older sister and she knows what’s best.)

Saki likes playing with Naoki just fine, but she’d rather play with the other girls way more.

Saki lives in the Shopping District. A lot of families that own shops like hers live there. So a lot of kids live there, too.

There’s a few girls her age, and Saki likes to play with them, when her parents say it’s okay. Ran and Hikari and Tomoko and Kana. Even Aika-chan—a girl that’s the youngest in their group—is nice, if quiet. They always have fun playing tagging or playing make-believe and dress-up.

Sometimes she has to bring Naoki with her, which, _boo_. But Saki’s gotta do what she’s gotta do as his older sis, to look after him, so she guesses it’s fine.

Sometimes, when playing make-believe, they make Naoki the prince or the samurai or the papa, because he’s the only boy most times. Naoki doesn’t really care and lets them, but sometimes he wants to be the monster, ‘cuz of course he would, he’s a _boy_.

So Saki’s the one to step up and be the prince or samurai or papa whenever needed for make-believe and dress-up when Naoki isn’t there or doesn’t want to be, ‘cuz _someone’s_ gotta. Saki’s pretty sure she does a better job anyways, too— but if she actually tells that to Naoki her little bro will either cry or be angry and not want to play _at all_ , and that would be too _boring_ , so Saki’s gotta make sac-ri-fices.

Ran also tells Saki she makes the bestest and most bravest samurai ever, too, so there! Ran-chan isn’t a liar, and she’s Saki’s favorite friend for sure, so it must be true. Ran’s also the prettiest princess, Saki thinks, even if all her friends make pretty princesses.

(Ran sticks by her side throughout the years of their friendship, but that’s another story, too.)

* * *

When Naoki isn’t forced to stick by Saki and her group of little friends, he gets pushed into playing with the neighborhood boys.

(Something about him getting accustomed to spending time with boys so he doesn’t become some sort of fragile sissy boy, but, hoo _boy_ did his parent’s really goof that one up, he thinks sardonically to himself.)

Naoki’s not sure he really likes the neighborhood boys all that much, though. They’re kind of mean—especially the older boys. They play rough, and play hard, and Naoki hates getting hurt. Scrapes _hurt_ , okay?

He tries to play with the boys around his age. They get into games of make-believe like his big Sis’s friends, but they have more stuff like battling monsters and wrestling. It’s fun, but it makes him tired, and sometimes he needs band-aids after, and it makes Saki angry ‘bout him getting hurt.

He likes to play just fine, but sometimes, he likes to sit and watch. He’s okay with that, and he’s used to sitting quietly with Aika-chan when with Sis’s friends.

There’s one boy Naoki likes to play a lot with, though. His name’s Kanji, and he’s super tough and really good at play-fighting, but at the same time, he’s also kinda quiet and shy. He’ll sit back with Naoki, just watching the others, muttering about stains or rips he gets in his clothes.

He’s funny, and he’s nice. Naoki likes listening to him talk. They have their own kind of fun, drawing on the ground with a stick, or looking up at clouds to see the shapes, or picking flowers in the park’s grass. Aika will be there too, sometimes, when she’s too tired to play with Sis, just sitting all quiet with them.

It’s nice.

Kanji also brings snacks, sometimes. They’re yummy. Some of them his Ma makes. Some of them are just animal crackers, which Kanji loves to snack on. Naoki doesn’t care what Kanji brings, really, ‘cuz Kanji’s always got the best stuff, anyways.

_And_ Kanji’s clothes are always super duper cool. He says his Ma makes them for him. They’ve always got cartoons on them that Naoki likes to look at. Kanji says he wants to “ _be as good as Ma some day!_ ”, puffing up all proud, and Naoki thinks he can do it. Kanji’s a good draw-er already. His dinosaurs are always the coolest-looking.

Naoki tells him he’ll be a good sew-er when he’s big, and Kanji smiles so wide his face goes red like a tomato. It’s funny. Kanji’s funny.

He likes Kanji a lot. He’s a good friend.

(He’ll keep liking Kanji for a long time, but, well. That’s another story for another day.) 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of feelings and headcanons about the Konishi sibs. Some headcanons are just extrapolation from what little content we get of them in-canon--for Saki especially, since she barely exists in the story other than as a plot device and a subject of development/Man Pain for Yosuke and her brother.
> 
> Saki and Naoki have potential, and I'm here to try and unlock it.
> 
> Updates are touch-and-go, and there's no schedule, so we'll see if I get past the first chapter.


End file.
